Internal-combustion-engine-starting device



H. c. HANNA. I INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILEQ MM; 1. I918.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

JIIULIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITT :1 1M! H. C. HANNA.

INTERNAE COMBUSTION ENGINE STARTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.1,19l8.

1,365,489. Patented Jan. 11,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOMER o. HANNA, or OKLAHOMA,- OKLAHOMA.

INTEaNAncoMBUsrIoN-ENGI E ST'ARTING DEVICE To all '10 7mm it mayconcern. 7

Be it known that I, HOMER C. HANNA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State ofOklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements inInternal-Combustion-Engine-Starting Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention seeks to provide, as its principal object, apparatus tobe usedin conjunction with an internal combustion motor of an autovehicle, whereby an initial movement may be imparted to the motor.

A further object of the invention seeks the provision of a supplementarytank designed to hold a specified quantity of liquid fuel, the remainderof the tank being filled with compressed air, so that an easilycombustible gas is formed. This tank is designed to supply this gas tothat cylinder of the motor whose piston is in the position where itwould ordinarily create the greatest compression in the cylinder, themotor being provided with means to permit the intaking of a charge inthecylinder, so that the charge may be ignited to impart an initialmovement to the piston.

A still further object is to provide a valve at the top of each cylinderof the motor, these valves controlling the means of communicationbetween the cylinders and the tank, and being rendered operative bymechanism having connection with the crank shaft of the motor.

Still further and other objects of the invention will appear in thedetailed description which follows.

To the exact construction to which it is shown, and described, theinvention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make suchchanges or alterations as the reduction to practice may suggest, in sofar as such changes or alterations are comprehend ed within the scope ofthe invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevationalviewof anauto vehicle engine equipped with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a front end view of the engine per se,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing one of the valvescontrolling the means of communication between the tank and thecylinders of the engine,

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of a cam Specification of LettersPatent. Patented J an. 11 192 1.

Application filed March 1, 1918.

Serial No. 219,940.

member used in conjunction with the inven an autovehicle engine A whichis designed to i be mounted in the usual way behindvthe. radiator B andunder the hood C of avehicle. The engine is equipped with theusualcrank' shaft 1 and .the cylinders 2, each of which is provided witha conventional form of spark plug 3. The invention comprises a tank l,which may be carried in any suitable way on the chassis of the vehicle.The tank 1- is equipped with a pressuregage 5 "posi: tioned preferablynear its forward end. Also near the forward end projectingiupwardlytherefrom, there is a pipe 6 which eifects communication with theinterior of the tank 4;, the pipe 6 being provided with a valve 7, thestem 8 of which is made of sufficient length to permit the end ofithestem to be passed through the dash of thevehicle behind which the stem011 its end receives a handwheel 10. This construction permitsthe valveto be operated from the inside of the vehicle on which the invention isapplied. Leaving the valve, the pipe 6 rises upwardly and then extendsforwardly over the upperv ends of the cylinders 2, being provided with abranch 11 which effects communication with a tubular member 12,-therebeing one tubular member on the upper end of each cylinder 2, and thistubular member communicating with the interior of the cylinder and beingattached to the cylinder preferably by threaded engagement with thelatter, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 3. The upper end of the tubularmember 12 is closed by a cap 14 which screws on the tubular member andwhich is provided with a central hole to permit sliding movement of thevalve stem 15 therethrough. The vlave stem 15 carries at its lower end avalve 16 whose normal position is such that it closescommunicationbetween the tubular member 12 and the branch 11 from thepipe 6.

A contractile spring 17 is carried in the tubular member 12 between thetop of the valve 16 and the bottom face of the cap 14, this springhaving its two ends suitably connected with the valve and with the caprespectively. The spring 17 tends normally to hold the valve 16 in itsopen position, but is prevented from doing this except at the propertime by means of a Z-shaped arm 18 whose upper horizontal leg overhangsand engages the stem 15 on the upper end thereof. As each of thecylinders 2 is provided with one of the valves 16 and its attendantmechanism, there is also provided for each of the cylinders, a Z-shapedarm 18. These Z-shaped arms are mounted for sliding movement in thedirection of the length of the cylinders, each cylinder being providedwith a pair of bearing brackets 19 through which the Z-shaped armslidingly moves;

The movement of the arm is controlled by means of cams 20 which aremounted rigidly on a shaft 21, the latter being journaled in a bearing22 mounted on one side of the cylinder. At its forward end, the shaft 21receives a gear 23 which meshes with a gear 24 mounted on the crankshaft 1.

The cams 20 are each provided on either side with an annular slot 25 andthe lower horizontal legs of the Z-shaped arms 18 are provided withforked ends 26, the free end of each leg of the forked ends having aninturned projection which slidably engages one of the slots 25, theforked end of each Z-shaped arm straddling its attendant cam to permitthe engagement of the projections 27 in the slots 25 on either side ofthe cam.

The ratio between the gears 23 and 24 is designed to be two to one, sothat the angular velocity of the shaft 21 may be one-half that of thecrank shaft 1.

In the operation of the invention, the shaft 21 turns at one-half theangular velocity of the crank shaft 1, the gear ratio between the twobeing as one to two. Therefore, the cams 20 make one revolution forevery two of the crank shaft, and they are so positioned on the shaft 21that they will raise the Z-shaped arms 18, each at the proper momentwhen the. piston is on the compression stroke in the particular cylinderwhose arm 18 is raised. The raising of the arm 18 leaves the spring 17free to contract with the result that the valve 16 is raised to aposition where it opens communication between a branch 11 of the pipe 6and the tubular member 12 of the particular cylinder concerned. Then thevalve 7 is opened by turning the handle 10, a mixture of compressed airand gasolene will be admitted to that cylinder whose valve 16 is open.Therefore, the manipulation of the sparking mechanism will finallyresult in locating the cylinder to which this charge has been admitted,the resulting explosion serving to initially move the engine. The enginehaving been started, the valve 7 is closed, and the engine continues tomove as a result of induction of explosive charges in the carbureter.This arrangement, of course is of the usual form and is unnecessary ofillustration or explanation here.

It will be observed that the several cams 20 are arranged on the shaft21, one to have an angular advance over the other in a manner similar tothe position in which the cranks are usually arranged with reference tothe crank shaft.

The engine having been once started as indicated above, the variousZ-shaped arms 18 will be operated on every other revolution of the crankshaft, but since the valve 7 is closed when the engine is running, thisdoes not interfere with the successful operation of the engine.

When the engine is to be stopped, with the present device in use, it ispreferable to cut off the fuel supply and to allow the engine to run asa result of the inertia of its moving parts. The valve 7 may then beopened, when the compression stroke of each piston will result incompressing'back into the tank 4:- When the engine is finally brought torest, the valve 7 is closed, and the compressed air trapped while theengine was coming to a standstill maybe reused for imparting initialmovement to the engine when started.

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new and usefulis:

The combination with the cylinders of an internalcombustion engine, of atank designed to hold a starting fluid, a tubular member mounted on theupper end of each cylinder and disposed in the direction ofthe length ofthe cylinder, a pipe leading from the tank and provided with branchesconnecting with the tubular members at the sides thereof, a valveslidably mounted in each tubular member for movement to close or opencommunication between the branch and the tubular member, the valvehaving a stem slidably projecting through the upper end of the tubularmember, a contractile spring housed inthe tubular member between thevalve and the upper end thereof and tending normally to move the valveto open position, Z -shaped arms slidably mounted on the sides of thecylinders and having their one extremity overhanging the upper ends ofthe valve stems, and a rotatable shaft carrying cams with which theremaining extremities of the Z-shaped arms are operatively engaged.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HOMER C. HANNA.

